Samoa thumped in Jo'burg

Samoa got their tour of South Africa off to a losing start on Saturday, slumping to a 74-14 defeat to the Lions at Ellis Park.

Samoa got their tour of South Africa off to a losing start on Saturday, slumping to a 74-14 defeat to the Lions at Ellis Park.

The Lions outscored their visitors ten tries to two with replacement loose forward Derick Minnie scoring a hat-trick.

The Samoans were penalised heavily at the scrums and battled at the line-out and this, together with their lacklustre defence, especially out wide, allowed the Lions to run rampant.

Although the visitors have been disrupted by several injuries, they are going to have to pull themselves together quickly if they are to be competitive in the quadrangular series with Scotland, Italy and South Africa that starts next weekend.

The Lions were on the scoreboard first through a penalty by fly-half Marnitz Boshoff in the third minute, but it was Samoa who grabbed the first try as they attacked well on the blindside and wing Alesana Tuilagi powered over the line.

However, Lions flank Minnie, who had been brought on as a 15th-minute replacement for Jaco Kriel, then scored a hat-trick of tries to put them on the front foot.

The home side were lethal on the drive in the first half, putting the Samoans under enormous pressure in the tight exchanges.

Although number eight Ofisa Treviranus scored for the tourists on the stroke of half-time, the Lions produced a sizzling second-half display to complete the rout.

The Samoans were burned on the outside by the Lions' pace and wing Anthony Volmink scored first after the break with the try of the day, running 95 metres to score after a turnover on attack by the visitors.

The Lions then successfully shut their opponents out of the game as fullback Chrysander Botha, replacement flyhalf Lionel Cronje, outside centre Stokkies Hanekom (twice) and substitute scrum-half Ross Cronje all scored tries after long-range breakouts.